Personal electronic device (ped) operating as a commerce device onboard an aircraft and associated methods

Abstract

A communications system for an aircraft includes an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system and at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger. The aircraft IFE system includes an IFE advertisement source, IFE passenger seat displays, and an IFE controller. The IFE controller selectively displays advertisements from the IFE advertisement source on the IFE passenger seat displays. Each advertisement being displayed has a respective advertisement token image associated therewith. The PED includes a PED optical sensor for sensing a selected advertisement token image, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller. The PED controller communicates via the PED wireless transceiver to initiate and complete purchase of the advertisement associated with the selected advertisement token image.

1 . A communications system for an aircraft comprising:
 an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system comprising
 at least one IFE advertisement source, 
 a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, and 
 at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying advertisements from said at least one IFE advertisement source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, each advertisement being displayed having a respective advertisement token image associated therewith; and 
   at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger and comprising
 a PED optical sensor for sensing a selected advertisement token image, 
 a PED wireless transceiver, and 
 a PED controller for communicating via said PED wireless transceiver to initiate purchase of the advertisement associated with the selected advertisement token image. 
   
     
     
         2 . The communications system according to  claim 1  further comprising an aircraft transceiver for communicating external the aircraft; and wherein said PED controller completes transaction of the purchase by communicating external the aircraft via said aircraft transceiver. 
     
     
         3 . The communications system according to  claim 2  wherein said aircraft transceiver comprises a ground data link for communicating external the aircraft when the aircraft is on the ground. 
     
     
         4 . The communications system according to  claim 2  wherein said aircraft transceiver comprises an airborne data link for communicating external the aircraft when the aircraft is airborne. 
     
     
         5 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said PED controller provides credit card information to complete transaction of the purchase. 
     
     
         6 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said PED controller provides frequent flyer account information to complete transaction of the purchase. 
     
     
         7 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said PED completes transaction of the purchase away from the aircraft by communicating with a ground-based network. 
     
     
         8 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said aircraft IFE system further comprises at least one IFE wireless transceiver; and
 wherein said PED controller is also for registration with said at least one IFE controller upon communicating therewith, the registration based on said at least one IFE controller also generating a respective registration token image on each IFE passenger seat display, and wherein said PED controller communicates with said at least one IFE wireless transceiver via said PED wireless transceiver based upon said PED optical sensor sensing the registration token image. 
 
     
     
         9 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one PED further comprises a PED memory for storing the selected advertisement token image. 
     
     
         10 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein the advertisements correspond to at least one of products and services. 
     
     
         11 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said PED optical sensor comprises a camera. 
     
     
         12 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein the advertisement token image is configured as a bar code. 
     
     
         13 . The communications system according to  claim 1  wherein said PED wireless transceiver comprises a PED radio frequency (RF) transceiver. 
     
     
         14 . An aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for use with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, the at least one PED comprising a PED optical sensor, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED optical sensor and to the PED wireless transceiver, the aircraft IFE system comprising:
 at least one IFE video entertainment source,   a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays,   at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and   at least one IFE controller for
 selectively displaying advertisements from said at least one IFE advertisement source on said plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, each advertisement being displayed having a respective advertisement token image associated therewith, and 
 communicating via said at least one IFE wireless transceiver and the PED wireless transceiver with the PED controller based upon the PED optical sensor sensing a selected advertisement token image to initiate purchase of the advertisement associated with the selected advertisement token image. 
   
     
     
         15 . The aircraft IFE system according to  claim 1  further comprising an aircraft transceiver for communicating external the aircraft; and wherein the PED controller completes transaction of the purchase by communicating external the aircraft via said aircraft transceiver. 
     
     
         16 . The aircraft IFE system according to  claim 1  wherein said at least one IFE controller is also for registration with the PED controller upon communicating therewith. 
     
     
         17 . The aircraft IFE system according to  claim 1  wherein the advertisements correspond to at least one of products and services. 
     
     
         18 . A personal electronic device (PED) to be carried by an aircraft passenger for use with an aircraft IFE system at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying advertisements from the at least one IFE advertisement source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, each advertisement being displayed having a respective advertisement token image associated therewith, the PED comprising:
 a PED optical sensor for sensing an advertisement token image displayed on an IFE passenger seat;   a PED wireless transceiver; and   a PED controller coupled to the PED optical sensor and to the PED wireless transceiver and for
 communicating via said PED wireless transceiver to initiate purchase of the advertisement associated with an advertisement token image selected by said PED optical sensor. 
   
     
     
         19 . The PED according to  claim 18  wherein the aircraft IFE system further comprises an aircraft transceiver for communicating external the aircraft; and wherein said PED controller completes transaction of the purchase by communicating external the aircraft via the aircraft transceiver. 
     
     
         20 . The PED according to  claim 18  wherein said PED controller is also for registration with the at least one IFE controller upon communicating therewith. 
     
     
         21 . The PED according to  claim 18  wherein the advertisements correspond to at least one of products and services. 
     
     
         22 . A method for operating an aircraft in-flight entertainment (IFE) system with at least one personal electronic device (PED) carried by an aircraft passenger, the at least one PED comprising a PED optical sensor, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED optical sensor and to the PED wireless transceiver; the aircraft IFE system comprising at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and at least one IFE controller coupled to the at least one IFE video entertainment source, the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays and the at least one IFE wireless transceiver, the method comprising:
 operating the at least one IFE controller for
 selectively displaying advertisements from the at least one IFE advertisement source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, each advertisement being displayed having a respective advertisement token image associated therewith, and 
 communicating via the at least one IFE wireless transceiver and the PED wireless transceiver with the PED controller based upon the PED optical sensor sensing a selected advertisement token image to initiate purchase of the advertisement associated with the selected advertisement token image. 
   
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 22  wherein the aircraft IFE system further comprises an aircraft transceiver for communicating external the aircraft; and wherein the PED controller completes transaction of the purchase by communicating external the aircraft via the aircraft transceiver. 
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 22  wherein the at least one IFE controller is also for registration with the PED controller upon communicating therewith. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 22  wherein the advertisements correspond to at least one of products and services. 
     
     
         26 . A method for operating a personal electronic device (PED) to be carried by an aircraft passenger for use with an aircraft IFE system at least one IFE video entertainment source, a plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, at least one IFE wireless transceiver, and at least one IFE controller for selectively displaying advertisements from the at least one IFE advertisement source on the plurality of IFE passenger seat displays, each advertisement being displayed having a respective advertisement token image associated therewith; the PED comprising a PED optical sensor, a PED wireless transceiver, and a PED controller coupled to the PED optical sensor and the PED wireless transceiver, the method comprising:
 operating the PED optical sensor for sensing an advertisement token image displayed on an IFE passenger seat;   operating the PED controller for
 communicating via the PED wireless transceiver to initiate purchase of the advertisement associated with an advertisement token image selected by the PED optical sensor. 
   
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 26  wherein the aircraft IFE system further comprises an aircraft transceiver for communicating external the aircraft; and wherein the PED controller completes transaction of the purchase by communicating external the aircraft via the aircraft transceiver. 
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 26  wherein the PED controller is also for registration with the at least one IFE controller upon communicating therewith. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 26  wherein the advertisements correspond to at least one of products and services.